The Dinosaur Museum News

Saturday 18th May is Museums at Night, and to celebrate this national event all of Dorchester’s six museums plus the Roman Town House will be open to the public in the evening from 5pm to 9pm. Also Max Gate will be especially open for a preview from 3.30pm to 5.30pm.

There is one ticket covering entrance to all eight heritage venues at only £8.00 when bought in advance. That’s £8.00 for anything up to a family of 2 adults and 4 children! It’s a great chance to explore one, several or all of Dorchester’s Continue Reading…

100 million year old scratch-marks have been found on the floor of a riverbed in Canada. The area is known as Dinosaur Highway because of the number of fossil footprints and trackways in the vicinity. The scratch-marks are thought to Continue Reading…

20 years after the original Jurassic Park film caused a sensation it is has been re-released in 3D last week in the USA. The film directed by Spielberg was originally filmed with 3D in mind, incorporating scenes with dinosaurs pursuing the audience. The 3D film will be released in Britain in the Continue Reading…

Throughout the whole of the Easter school holidays the Dinosaur Museum, in Dorchester, is holding the Great Dinosaur Egg Hunt. It is the Easter Egg Hunt with a difference and involves children in actually hunting throughout the museum to spot the dinosaur eggs on display and solving the Dinosaur Mystery. The Great Dinosaur Egg Hunt is from Good Friday 29th March to Sunday 14h April. Explore Britain’s original Dinosaur Museum with its exciting mix of actual fossils, skeletons, and life-size dinosaur reconstructions combined with Continue Reading…

Scientists from the University of Alberta, USA, have made a remarkable discovery when studying the fossilized remains of Sinocalliopteryx – a raptor-like predatory dinosaur. In the dinosaur’s stomach the remains of three Confuciusornis were found. Confuciusornis is one of the earliest birds with limited flying abilities, that developed in the late Cretaceous. Continue Reading…

The new Dr Who series scheduled for this autumn promises to be a cracker. Not only are the Daleks back, but dinosaurs feature as well. At one point Dr Who, played by Matt Smith, is seen riding a Triceratops. The BBC is already previewing its flagship show, which is the final one for Dr Who’s assistant Continue Reading…

Further study by scientists of a fossil specimen originally found over 100 years ago has revealed a new type of snake that would have lived at the same time as T rex. Named Coniophis the snake is an exciting find as it is a transitional species showing features of both snakes and lizards. Coniophis is 60 centimetres long and has the body of a snake and the head of a lizard.

70 million years ago Coniophis could easily have slithered around the feet of T rex and other dinosaur. It was a burrowing snake and is unlikely to have been preyed on by dinosaurs. It was not poisonous as this is something that did not develop until much later in snake evolution.

Palaeontologists have been sickened and outraged by another attack of dinosaur vandalism in Alberta. A well-preserved Hadrosaur was being excavated by a team lead by Philip Currie. On leaving the site for Canada Day celebrations at the end of June the palaeontologists covered the specimen with plaster to protect it Continue Reading…

A fossilised dinosaur egg has been unearthed that dates back to between 70 and 83 million years ago that exhibits both characteristics of dinosaurs and birds. The dinosaur eggs show a clear oval shape, more familiar in modern-day eggs, and this adaptation of shape allowed for an air sac to develop. Air sacs are important Continue Reading…

The biggest ever Great Summer Dinosaur Hunt is happening throughout the School Summer Holidays at the Dinosaur Museum in Dorchester. The event involves the whole museum and lets children explore and search out the answers to the clues of the dinosaur mystery.

The Dinosaur Museum is the perfect place for the dinosaur hunt with its exciting blend of actual fossils, skeletons, and life-size dinosaur reconstructions with hands on, and multimedia displays. The Great Summer Dinosaur Hunt is on from 20th July daily until 5th September 2012.
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